How do I warm soup for Shabbos? Please help me :)!!!!!!!!!!!

amother

Sat, Sep 04 2010, 10:19 pm

I am only doing Friday night meal and want to make soup. What is the least amount of "energy" that I can leave on to warm my soup during Yontif for shabbos as well as have some type of warming area for other foods. Should I just leave my oven on? Can I do this on my warming tray? I do not have a blech, nor do I have a warming tray that is on a timer. Please help.. first time doing this :)!

RachelEve14

Sun, Sep 05 2010, 1:41 am

Yes, a crock pot is the best way. My hot plate won't warm up soup much past lukewarm even if I leave it on for hours (tried to warm soup for the kids one RH and I think it sat on there for about 4 hours and was barely warm). It might work with a small amount of soup, but if you are feeding a crowd I'd use a crock pot.

life'sgreat

Sun, Sep 05 2010, 1:53 am

Not having a blech is not an issue. You can use a disposable cookie sheet for a one time use. The question is if you can open a flame close to Shabbos just to put the soup on, if you're planning to do so ahead of time. I'd either go with the crockpot (but having that work for 2 days for no reason might not be comfortable for you), with a timer if your rav allows, or I'd ask about the blech option as I mentioned above.

6yeladim

Sun, Sep 05 2010, 3:12 am

It takes quite a long time to heat soup in a crockpot, allow at least six hours. It's dangerous to eat soup that has not been heated to boiling.

CYLOR about the following:

Technically you don't need a blech. Light your gas stove from an existing flame a half hour before candle-lighting and heat up the soup. Once the soup is boiling, lower the flame. As long as you don't need to return the soup to the stove you don't need a blech. You could also wrap the pot in a towel to keep it warm. Your gas would have to stay on all Shabbat though. We have a chagaz, which is a timer that lets the gas turn off by itself on YT.

Or you can set your crockpot on a timer, the kind with the ticks. I leave mine on, without the bowl, for half an hour for the first days of YT. Then I push in (or out, depending on the model) the relevant ticks starting from the time I need.
Example: If candlelighting is at six, you need it on Friday from 11 am until 7:30 or so. So before YT, set it for 11:00-11:30 am. Make sure to choose a time you will be home and can remember to do it. Put in your soup and extend the time until 7:30. After you serve the soup and the timer has gone off, you can push all the ticks in so it won't go on the next morning. On Shabbat you can extend times to keep the appliance in the same state it is now. On YT you can adjust things to go on or off earlier than intended, as well.
This is based on Shmirat Shabbat Kehilchata.

-Hannah

amother

Sun, Sep 05 2010, 8:47 am

I have an electric stove, does this make anything different? I do not have gas. I guess I will just leave on my crock pot warm the soup and then put some food on top of the crock pot to warm it. I think that will be the most energy efficient I guess? Where would I go about getting a timer? I have never seen this before. Does it come with the crockpot or do you buy it seperatley? Sorry if that is a stupid question.

6yeladim

Sun, Sep 05 2010, 9:27 am

My reply was lost, how annoying.
In theory you can plug in an oven to a timer, then into the outlet. But you'll need a timer that can handle such a big appliance, and you need to test it before YT to make sure it does what you want.

For the crockpot, here's the kind of timer you need, just check that it is strong enough for a crockpot:
GE timer

You can use it with a lamp, an electric frying pan, as long as the timer model is suitable for the electricity output of the appliance.

Please test, test, test--you don't want anything exploding while you are away for the meals.

-Hannah